At the biggest Russian games event, IgroMir, which took place on November 5-8, Blizzard Entertainment presented two Blizzard games: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and StarCraft II. Chris Sigaty (lead producer on StarCraft II) and J. Allen Brack (production director on World of Warcraft) visited IgroMir for the first time, taking a moment out of their busy schedules to talk to the Russian audience about these eagerly awaited games.

You can have a look at the recaps of the both panels on our IgroMir Coverage page:

We've just uploaded new intel to the StarCraft II website. This latest transmission sheds new light on the goings-on in the Koprulu sector and highlights key persons of interest associated with recent anti-Dominion activity. In particular, this content drop includes:

Short Story: Changeling - Just because the years following the Brood War have so far been relatively uneventful, that doesn't mean it's safe out there in the cold vastness of space. Zeta Squad is about to find this out, the hard way.

Singleplayer Storytelling - Discover the ways in which StarCraft II will build on and expand the storytelling techniques of previous Blizzard titles, awaits you in this article.

Multiplayer Mapmaking - Ever wonder what design considerations and decisions go into the many multiplayer maps of StarCraft II? Check out this article to learn more!

Character Biographies: Tychus, Zeratul, Raynor - The character biographies for Raynor and Zeratul have been updated with new art and additional info, and you can now also read up on Tychus Findlay, one of Jim Raynor's old comrade-in-arms.

New Art and Screenshots - Check out more than 20 new screenshots and pieces of concept artwork! We got nukes, we got knives, sharp sticks... check out all the new info now!

17-Nov-2009
Mr. T's Night Elf Mohawk Returns!

"You gotta choice, Jack. You can watch Mr. T's new TV commercial…or you can HURT." Mr. T, outraged that any fools would doubt his hacking skills, has returned to World of Warcraft to show off his latest invention in a series of televised ads run in North America. Watch them here first at Blizzard's new World of Warcraft YouTube channel or click here to learn more about the mohawk grenade which can be obtained in Europe starting on November 24!

14-Nov-2009
Battle.net Account Now Required

World of Warcraft is now a part of the new Battle.net! In preparation for the rollout of Battle.net's upcoming communication and community features, as of today, all World of Warcraft accounts must be merged with a free Battle.net account in order to log in to the game. To upgrade to a Battle.net account, please go here. For more info, check out the Battle.net site or read the FAQ.

13-Nov-2009
Blizzard Holiday Card Contest

'Tis the season for our inaugural Blizzard Holiday Card Contest! Every year, Blizzard creates a unique holiday card to send season’s greetings to little murlocs, zerglings, and imps everywhere. This year, we’re inviting you to catch the spirit by creating an original Blizzard-themed holiday card of your own.

To participate, just submit your entries here by 12 p.m. Pacific Time on December 7. We’ll select three winners to receive a prize package full of gaming gear from Razer, along with an official 2009 Blizzard holiday card signed by the artist, Samwise Didier. Be sure to check back after the contest is over, as we’ll be making the winning entries available for use as your very own holiday cards this season. Check out the official rules for more information.

13-Nov-2009
World of Warcraft Battle.net Conversion – Final Day

Today, November 12, 2009, all current World of Warcraft players must merge their World of Warcraft accounts with a Battle.net account in order to log in to the game. As our way to say "thanks" for taking a moment to go through the process, all accounts that upgrade to Battle.net will receive a brand-new penguin in-game pet. On November 12, all World of Warcraft players will need to log in to the game using a Battle.net username and password, and anyone who wishes to create a new World of Warcraft account will need to start with a Battle.net account.

After a great start to IgroMir 2009 on Friday, the week-end was even busier at the Blizzard booth: the number of visitors surpassed all expectations!

Our guests formed two very long queues to test out the playable demos of two upcoming Blizzard games, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and StarCraft II. For most of the Russian-speaking community this was their first chance to experience these games.

Quizzes and contests gave attendees their chance to fight for fame and glory. World of Warcraft players were challenged to level up a Goblin or a Worgen in Cataclysm, and StarCraft fans participated in a ‘hot streak’ to prove their multiplayer skills.

Another important event that happened at the Blizzard booth over the weekend was a meeting of the Russian-speaking role play community. People came to meet up not only from different towns but even from different countries. For most of them it was their first real-life gathering.

As at IgroMir 2008, the "Blizzard is hiring" desk drew lots of people. If you missed this opportunity, you can always visit our job page to find the most up-to-date information about positions open right now.

Once again we would like to thank you for visiting our booth. Don't forget to visit our IgroMir web page!

07-Nov-2009
New European J!NX Store!

J!NX is unveiling a new store in association with Blizzard, tailored exclusively for Europe!

To celebrate this special occasion the J!NX Europe store will be offering shirts:

With two new exclusive World of Warcraft: Cataclysm designs

Constructed from high quality, heavyweight materials with solid craftsmanship

In distinctive European cuts for both men & women

As an added celebratory bonus, when you purchase three or more T-shirts you will benefit from FREE shipping for your order. To make your shopping experience even better, the J!NX European Online Store is available in German, French and English languages. The store also accepts most major European payment methods with prices in both Euro (€) and GBP (£) currencies.

Quizzes on World of Warcraft and StarCraft gave those waiting to play the chance to win some nice prizes from our partners if they knew the correct answer to one of the questions asked by our Community manager Кихьяви (Kihjawi). The crowd won lots of great Razer and SteelSeries loot!

Further attractions for the Russian communities were the discussion panels on two hotly anticipated Blizzard games: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and StarCraft II . Chris Sigaty (lead producer on StarCraft II) and J. Allen Brack (production director on World of Warcraft) visited IgroMir for the first time to tell players about the games that were presented to the Russian audience.

J. Allen Brack spoke about some of the many changes coming to the world of Azeroth, paying special attention to PvP aspects (Tol Barad, a new outdoor PvP area) and the totally revamped guild management features.

Meanwhile, Chris Sigaty talked not only about the story that drives StarCraft II, but also about the many new Battle.net features that players will experience once the premium online gaming service is relaunched.

A recap of the panels will be published later on our IgroMir site. Please be sure to check it out, and stay tuned for more news from IgroMir 2009!